


Thinking Out Loud

by becomingshades



Series: Fireproof [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff galore, Love, One-Shot, Romance, Shameless Self-Indulgence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2643506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/becomingshades/pseuds/becomingshades
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Christ, Helen," he said, half at the edge of a laugh, feeling just a little manic and struggling to get a hold of himself. </p>
<p>
  <em>(a story about big steps forward, breaking all the rules again, and finally getting exactly what you want.)</em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>scenes from the to things to ruin universe.</strong>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thinking Out Loud

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, this is just shameless self-indulgence. Just me being unable to walk away from Harry & Hellie. It's just... I had this idea appear in my head, and I spent so much time thinking about it, and it kept coming back or maybe it never went away in the first place, and I just... had to write it out. Had to see how it would play out.
> 
> And so. This is it. This is that idea, followed through to its conclusion.
> 
> I hope you like it.

"Harry, love, I think... Could you-- We should talk."

He looked up from his book to see Hellie hovering in the doorway in nothing but panties and an utterly enormous t-shirt, which had slipped over her shoulder and halfway down her arm. Hellie was waiting for an answer, he knew, but for a moment, all he could do was imagine tracing a feather-light line down her neck and over her exposed shoulder with his fingers, then following it with his mouth -- seven months later, still so enamoured of the fact that he could. Still, something in Hellie's body language held him back. With one shoulder against the frame, one knee bent, one foot on top of the other, and one hand sort of half-hidden behind her leg, her posture was... deceptive. Deceptively casual.

"What's up, sweetheart?" He watched as her arm slipped forward just slightly, something slim and white in her hand. 

"So, uhm... I'm..."

"Spit it out Hell. Can't be that bad, yeah? It's not like you're pregnant or anything," he teased, laughing. "Been there, done that!" 

Hellie's face fell for a moment before she bit into her lip and raised both eyebrows apprehensively. In the silence, he put his book aside and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Oops?" she asked.

"Helen," he intoned.

"Harry, I'm pregnant," she said, finally, pulling her arm in front of her completely to display the test.

For a moment, he sat incredibly still, completely paralyzed by the news. Hellie waited, hesitated. But when he wagged a finger in her direction, gesturing for her to come to him, she obliged immediately. As she closed the space between them he took a moment to look down, scrubbing a hand over his face and back into his hair and willing the pounding of his heart to subside with a very deep breath. It was only when their knees knocked that he looked up, pursing his lips around a smile.

"Christ, Helen," he said, half at the edge of a laugh, feeling just a little manic and struggling to get a hold of himself. "Will you please marry me first this time?"

As soon as the words were out, he slapped a hand over his mouth, wished he could reel them back in.

"Oh fuck, Hell, I'm sorry, that's not the way I should have--" he cut off in the middle of his thought as he caught the corners of her eyes crinkling up, the edges of her lips pulling wide.

"Yes," she said.

"Whaaaaaat?" he asked, dragging the word out slowly, mischievously, as he rose to his feet with an overjoyed grin.

"Yes," she repeated as he buried his face in her neck.

"Did I just hear you say you'll marry me?" he asked, words a husky whisper pressed to her ear by shaky lips.

"You did, love," she affirmed, gasping as he tugged at her earlobe, tight between his teeth.

"Christ, shut the fucking door before I force you to celebrate in full sight of the children."

"The kids aren't here, love."

"Fuck," he groaned as Hellie pressed a thigh up against his crotch. "They're with my parents, aren't they?" he asked, remembering, again, why they were able to have such a quiet morning. Reality felt very far away.

"Indeed, they are."

"Good," he said, spinning and throwing Hellie on the bed. "Because I didn't even want to wait for you to close the door."

 

*

 

Two weeks later he returned home from a meeting with a ridiculous rose gold and moonstone ring. Or, well. The ring wasn't ridiculous. It was beautiful. It was just... they hadn't yet told the kids. Hadn't even talked about a ring. Had only ever talked abstractly about the wedding-- something quick kept quiet, before the new baby arrived. But he'd been in Liberty nosing about and it caught his eye. When the girl behind the counter told him how moonstone was believed to reconcile lovers who had been parted, he knew. This was the ring. Hellie's ring.

Everything after that happened in such a rush. Suddenly he had this ring and it was his, his to give to her and, god-- He wasn't even sure she'd wear it. At least not until they were ready to tell everyone, and he wasn't sure when that would be, if they wouldn't maybe wait and tell people everything all at once, when the first trimester was safely over. He maybe should have thought more before he plunked down over a thousand quid. 

Still when he gave it to Hellie that night in bed, she slipped it on immediately and he buried his smiling face in her tummy, kissed their tadpole through the million layers of cells that separated them.

"It's beautiful, love, what is it?" she inquired.

"An engagement ring?" he ask-answered, looking up at her again and biting his bottom lip.

"Don't be thick, you moron, I've got it on my left hand. I've sorted that much."

"It's a moonstone. I'm sorry if it's not... If you wanted... I can buy you something else if you'd rather. I do know how you feel about diamonds, I just..."

"Harry," she said fondly, pushing her hand through his hair to hold it back from his forehead while he looked up at her, chin resting against her belly. "Stop. Just tell me about the ring. This one, here on my hand."

"I saw it, and thought of you. Like, the case caught my eye, and this ring especially. I wasn't even thinking..." Hellie shook her head at him. "Anyway. The shopgirl told me that they used to think moonstone could reunite lost lovers, and it just... seemed right that you should have this."

"Harry," she sighed, voice lilting over an edge and coloring with tears. "I love it," she continued in a whisper, tucking his hair behind an ear and urging him forward with a gentle tug. "I love you."

He ghosted his lips over hers twice, smiling so much it was probably disgusting. Then, one knee between hers, weight propped up on one elbow, he ran a hair through Hellie's hair -- pregnancy thick and smooth and luxurious, now -- and sank into a deeper kiss.

"I don't know when we should tell everyone, or how -- and christ we always seem to fuck this stuff up -- but I want to marry you soon," Hellie said as he nuzzled his face in her neck, nipped at her collar bones. "Can we please just... do that?"

"Yes, please. Does tomorrow work for you?"

Hellie laughed. "My parents would fly over here and murder me in my sleep. No. We'll need to wait a little longer than that, love."

"I'll do whatever you want, Hell, you know that," he replied, rolling over to pull her on top of him. 

Hellie sat up immediately, eyes alight. She had an idea. He could see it. This only occasionally went well, this look in her eyes.

"What if we didn't tell anyone anything. Like, the kids, obviously, yeah. But what if we just never said anything else. Just sent invitations to a wedding, and that's how people found out?"

He stared at her blankly, deciding it was best to hold his opinion until she had clarified further. "Go on."

"You usually have to send wedding invites out like, two months in advance anyway, right? So what if we booked a place for January and designed the invitations really fast and just... sent them. Maybe even just like... sent an invite to the wedding location, like... if we got married at town hall, just sent an invite to the ceremony at town hall and then we provide all the transport to the venue, so we don't even mention it in the invite. That way like... we can keep some details private, but still just... What?" Hellie asked, freezing.

So he was laughing a little. Not at the idea. The idea was fine. Was kind of his style anyway. A little random, a little mysterious. It was just... seeing Hellie so excited was thoroughly adorable. It had been a long time since he'd seen this kind of enthusiasm on her face.

"I love it, Hell."

"You do?" she asked, lighting up just that tiny bit more, because somehow that was still possible, more light in her eyes.

"I do," he affirmed, hauling her lips down to his for a smiling kiss. "I love you," he murmured, before releasing her, biting down on a smile and waiting for her to continue. "So, anything else?"

"I've no idea, love, I was just thinking out loud."

"Well, whenever you do know just... tell me what you want. Whatever it is, we'll do it."

"Okay," she whispered, leaning in for another kiss, then pulling back only just far enough that he could feel her lips curl into a smile. "You understand you've just given me absolute power, yes?"

"Y-yes," he stuttered at her tone of voice. "Am I going to regret that?"

"I'll give you one veto."

"That's not an answer."

"Yes. You will probably regret that. At least... when you see the bill."

"It's just money," he replied. 

"I'll be reminding you of that later, I'm sure, but for now..."

Hellie tightened her knees and flipped over, pulling them back into their original position as she brought their lips together once again. He sighed contentedly into her mouth, and squeezed his eyes so very tight, as if by doing so he could maybe capture the memory of this moment as a photograph inside his mind.

 

*

 

True to Hellie's plan, two months later they were married in an absolute explosion of flowers. (And it _was_  shocking when he saw the bill. And he'd spent a year sending Hellie peonies once a week. So. He knew from spendy flowers.)

Everyone on earth, it seemed, had turned up to Islington Town Hall for the ceremony, lining the streets like it was a damn parade. But whether it was the trick of keeping the venue a secret, even to guests, or just a rare burst of complete human decency, the throngs did not follow the buses -- two vintage double-deckers, natch -- to the reception venue, a warehouse only a few minutes' drive away.

Louis near embarrassed the life out of him in his speech -- he was honorary best man, though the twins were technically the only two in the bridal party who'd stood with he and Hellie at the ceremony -- and the lads accompanied Ed for a new arrangement of "Thinking Out Loud" for their first dance, a surprise which Hellie smile-cried the entire way through. And at the end of the night, in a rare moment of quiet as Grimshaw passed the DJ baton to Andrew Andrew, he announced their pregnancy.

As the news rippled out across the room -- gasps rising and falling in concentric circles that spread ever outward -- he took a moment to look at his wife. His _wife_. God. That's who she was to him now, finally, after so many years. He hadn't realized how important it would feel until just then. Hadn't ever dared to hope it would make him this happy to give her that name.

He snapped to attention when Hellie finally ran a hand over her belly, leaning back into him and closing her eyes as if she'd been near dying to do this all day.

"Hey, darling," he murmured against he ear as she reached back behind her and locked her fingers into his before bringing his palm round to press it against her belly.  

"Hey, husband," she whispered, leaning her head back and turning her face into his neck.

"I have something for you," he continued, turning her about in his embrace with one arm and reaching into his vest pocket with the other. "for you, and for Baby Styles. Whoever he or she turns out to be."

It was a ring. One he'd saved for precisely this moment. 

During the ceremony they'd arranged for their vows to encompass two bands, one for each of their children. But there were three kids, now, and everyone knew. There were three kids now and he wanted her to have a ring for each of them. To celebrate each circle of life they'd created. To mark them out on her hand so everyone could see the way they belonged with her, the very same way the moonstone marked the way he belonged with her. With her. Forever.

Hellie tried to raise an eyebrow at him, and failed as always, but he ignored her. Just slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed the look off her face.

He felt a tear roll between their lips before he realized Hellie was crying again. Felt two solid punches land on his shoulder before he heard her say "you jerk, I love you, I love you, you jerk" right up against his mouth. And then, with a laugh, he grasped Hellie's hitting hand and spun her out away from him like they were dancing again, when really it was just time to face the descending crowd of overjoyed family. Baby Styles wasn't just theirs anymore, and neither was the moment. It was time to share.

After that there was just hours and hours of dancing. A midnight buffet of finger foods and snacks, and an after-party that lasted well past 3am, which he and Hellie snuck out of without any fanfare. There was a flight to a far away island waiting for them, and several weeks alone, to write the next chapter of their relationship across each others bodies in the sand and surf. And then there was just... forever. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well. It all started with the idea that there's yet another oops-pregnancy in the Styles-McGovern clan. I thought the scene of her telling Harry abotu the pregnancy, and him responding with a proposal, would never see the light of day. It just didn't feel all that compelling to me (not the way Here Lies Cass turned out to be, with this whole new character narrative that it offered).
> 
> But I kept writing the idea out. Trying to trace it to it's end. And I just held onto the scenes for a while, debating what to do. I decided on this. On sharing it as a one-shot, but not a strict follow-up or sequel to the work.
> 
> Anyway. This is how I saw it happening with these two fools. And if you're curious, the morning Hellie tells Harry she's pregnant again is 1 month after he's told the lads they're back together. So. This is all happening very quickly for them. Again ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed. I know I loved playing in this universe again.
> 
> xxloose
> 
> ps. [This](http://www.annasheffield.com/products/moonstone-bea-engagement-ring?variant=685285581) is Hellie's ring. And [this](http://dresseslux.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/wedding-dresses-on-salescoop-lace-tea-length-ivory-819x1024.jpg) is the dress she wore. The ceremony was [here](http://www.ispwp.com/wp-content/image/8-real-weddings/london-wedding-photographer-islington-town-hall-adamludwik-04.jpg) and the reception was [here](http://www.castlegibson.com/locations/mc-motors/) (with mountains and fountains of flowers and a lifetime supply of edison bulbs).


End file.
